Not terrible, but not great either.
I would suspect that if Beason was off the board Meriweather could certainly be the pick, but I would see that being followed by a trade down into the second to pick up Harris and address the ILB situation then just going and taking a OLB.
Booker, eh, I would prefer a corner at this point. If you are going to get a safety in round 1 I would like a corner in round three, if you get a corner in round 1 I want a safety in round three. An ILB somewhere with that 3rd pick.
Meriweather plays Safety & Corner. He held Calvin Johnson to 68 yards, and went four games without giving up a reception.
I actually think that is the first three picks I gave them in either my first mock, or my second. I've gone away from Timmons since the signing of AD, and I'm not sure about Timmons at WILB, maybe. I also don't think he last that long, anymore. I had them taking Meriweather before (still like him a lot, but I'm not sure they'd pick him), and I still think Booker could be the pick in the third round.
Really, if we are just going by talent and playing style Meriweather is the perfect fit for NE's defense.
Here's the pick comments:
On the Meriweather pick:
"One thing Scott Pioli and Bill Belichick do better than anyone else is find players who fit what the franchise is looking for not only on the field but off it as well. In fact, they aren't afraid to go against the grain, defy convention and maybe even take players a little earlier than expected if they have a conviction and that could be the case with Brandon Meriweather. Based on pure talent Meriweather should be gone by this point but there are some character concerns that will probably push him down, however the Pats have such a strong system and core group of leaders in place that they'd probably feel like they could handle him. A true playmaker and great all-around safety who can play not only the pass but the run as well, Meriweather could even slide over and play a little bit of corner and you know that versatility will be appreciated by Bill Belichick. New England is said to covet Jon Beason so if available he would likely be their guy but since that's not the case they might finally opt to address their secondary in the first round."
On the Timmons pick:
"For years now linebacker has been one of New England's greatest strengths and while they are basically set outside, especially with the signing of Adalius Thomas, there are some question marks inside with Tedy Bruschi now nearing the end of his career and little or no depth behind him and Mike Vrabel. Both Jon Beason and Paul Posluszny are possibilities with their earlier choice but Lawrence Timmons would be a fantastic value here and is probably too good to pass up. Timmons finally got a chance to start in 2006 and he definitely made the most of the opportunity. He is still extremely raw but all he really lacks is experience and eventually he could end up being even better than Ernie Sims. The Pats will be able to bring Timmons along slowly for a year or two and if developed properly he could end up being a major steal. A darkhorse to watch out for here is Brian Leonard because he is not only the type of versatile player that they look for on the field but he also has all of the top-notch intangibles the franchise looks for off it as well."
On the Booker pick:
"They need insurance behind Laurence Maroney and this guy would be a perfect compliment."
[Can't see him going to the Pats in the third, though, as I suspect there are much better values available then.]
